ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Chloe Wong is a Non-Resident WSD Handa Fellow of the Pacific Forum CSIS. She previously served as a Senior Foreign Affairs Research Specialist at the Foreign Service Institute and was a Senior Lecturer at Miriam College, Philippines.

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Both are daughters of former heads of state, and their political pedigrees befitted their status in history. The conspicuous resemblance of South Korea’s Park Geun-hye (2013-2017) and the Philippines’ Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2009) is eerily apparent.

On March 16, 2018, the Philippines began the process of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. The decision ultimately discredits the Philippines’ democratic credentials that are supposedly grounded on the ideals of human rights.

Chinese-Filipino relations has reached a new warmth, as China funds Filipino infrastructure-building and its war on drugs while Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte downplays China’s activities on the South China Sea.

In October 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited China and Japan, two of the country’s important economic partners. His trips earned the Philippines millions of dollars’ worth of Chinese and Japanese loans and investments.